Navigator: Losing a Friendly Face

For years, the first (and sometimes only) person to greet bleary-eyed D.C. commuters like me with an enthusiastic “good morning!” and a warm smile was the hawker handing out a fresh copy of the Washington Post Express. Teams of distributors for the local commuter newspaper were stationed at the entrances of various Metro transit stations across the greater D.C. area—until September 13, when the 16-year-old publication’s final issue was released. A team of 20 journalists was laid off, as were 75 hawkers who handed out copies—like Hassan, who stood outside the Dupont Circle station.